First person: John Arlotta, CEO of CareCore National

Editor’s note: From time to time, we’ll sit down with business and community leaders to get their views on local issues and hot topics. If you have an idea for someone you’d like us to talk to, please email editor Kathy Nelson at kathy.nelson@blufftontoday.com or call 815-0800, Ext. 19.

Bluffton’s largest employer — CareCore National — named a new CEO in June 2012 to replace the company’s late co-founder Don Ryan, who died suddenly in September 2011.

John Arlotta is a health care industry veteran and was tapped to lead the benefit management company. He has spent the first six months traveling and getting to know CareCore’s customers and employees — in Bluffton, Colorado and elsewhere. CareCore has been headquartered in Bluffton since 2007 and employs more than 1,300 employees, more than 500 of them locally.

Arlotta also is the owner of a lacrosse team in Minnesota, a Notre Dame graduate and huge supporter of programs there.

Bluffton Today caught up with him last week and the following is an edited version of five questions with Arlotta.

1. You have been CEO at CareCore for about six months. What’s been the biggest surprise?

I think the talent that the people have here. I did not expect the talent level to be so high. I thought it would be hard to recruit. I just found the talent level to be incredible. Young people have moved into the area. We pulled in four or five college grads this past year. I thought we’d have a hard time getting the younger people.

I think it also says something about Bluffton. People want to live in Bluffton. Mid-level management — which is so key to the company — want to be here because it is a great place.

2. What changes have you made in the operation of the business? Why?

I viewed my job less as a change agent and more as taking a very good company to the next level. I spent the first six months meeting and talking to our customers.

My conclusion was that it wasn’t a company that needed to change but one that needed to grow. It needed to create a foundation to prepare it (the company) for growth properly. A key to all of that was retaining the entrepreneurial spirit of the company.

A probable activity related to growing quickly is when a company tends to lose touch with the employee piece of the business.

We want to have that growth with a higher level of touch with our employees. Want to stay entrepreneurial but to do all the things a big company can do. There is a subtle difference. Putting that foundation in place. It is not just brick and mortar, but people and the type of people you have.

3. What did you spend the most time doing during your initial first six months on the job?

Talking to our customers, employees, management team, board of directors. I traveled a lot. And I traveled alone. I did this so people would talk to me and tell me honestly what they thought.

The feedback was phenomenal. I heard from customers that we move quickly and are flexible. We have a good reputation.

I was learning more about the business during the first six months. And I was figuring out priorities for 2013.

4. What do you enjoy most about living in the Lowcountry?

The weather. Moved here from Denver and the weather there is beautiful. I grew up in Buffalo.

People here have been very nice. We (my wife and I) have integrated quickly into the community.

5. How did you get interested in lacrosse?

I have moved around a little bit. One company I ran in Baltimore, NeighborCare, needed a new physical location. A location that was more suitable for a public company. The landlord for the new location took me to a John Hopkins University lacrosse game. You can’t live in Baltimore without touching lacrosse.

I got involved as a spectator in Baltimore. Then I moved to Denver and it had a fast-growing lacrosse community. One of my best friends bought the Minnesota Wild NHL team and he asked me to buy the lacrosse team, the Minnesota Swarm. My son runs the team. I own it.

He’s (my son) doing a great job. Moving here means that I don’t hover over him. But I have not given up the player side of it.

I am also a big Notre Dame lacrosse supporter.

Bonus question: Your alma mater, Notre Dame, is playing for the national championship against my alma mater, Alabama, on Monday night. Who do you think will win? Score?

I never predict a Notre Dame game because I am too emotional about it. Especially against Alabama because the team is so great. Alabama has a great tradition and I have a lot of respect for them.

It will be a good game. We will surprise some people. I am just going to go and enjoy it.

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